Sailor made himself as small as possible as he huddled on the concrete, trembled and furtively looked for somewhere to hide. Of course, the 11-week-old, white, German Shepherd-mix puppy was already very little, much too little and innocent to be where he was. Someone abandoned Sailor and his equally vulnerable brother outside a Dollar General Store.

Everything was terrifying. The carts made clattering metal sounds that Sailor had never heard. The people were strangers, more of them than Sailor had ever seen. And cars, the creatures Sailor sensed were the most dangerous, moved in every direction.

Sailor doesn’t feel safe in the shelter, either. It’s more concrete and scary barking from bigger dogs. Poor, frightened Sailor needs some softness, gentleness and reassurance in his life.